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Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner J. Kent Friedman has been named the inaugural recipient of the Joe Niekro Humanitarian Award given by The Joe Niekro Foundation for civic service to the Houston community.

J. Kent Friedman

We are privileged to have Mr. J. Kent Friedman as the inaugural recipient of this award. The Joe Niekro Humanitarian Award honors outstanding commitment and contributions to the Houston community.

“We are privileged to have Mr. J. Kent Friedman as the inaugural recipient of this award,” said Natalie Niekro, daughter of the famed Houston pitcher and president of The Joe Niekro Foundation. “The Joe Niekro Humanitarian Award honors outstanding commitment and contributions to the Houston community. Mr. Friedman is the epitome of what this award represents. It is with great pleasure that we recognize his service and dedication.”

Friedman is a longtime Houston legal, business and civic leader. He serves as chairman of the board of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority, and serves on the boards of several charitable and corporate entities. Friedman has been recognized by several organizations for his community involvement, including the Houston Bar Auxiliary, which awarded him its Leon Jaworski Award that is given annually to the attorney in Houston who has done the most to make a difference in the community.

The award will be presented to Friedman at the third annual Knuckle Ball…A Pitch for Life event April 28 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, visit http://www.joeniekrofoundation.org/knuckleball.

At Haynes and Boone, Friedman serves in both the Corporate and Public Law Practice Groups. His experience spans a wide range of business transactional matters, as well as the representation of public entities or clients that interact with public entities. In addition, he has participated in numerous corporate governance and highly contentious disputes of various kinds.

About Haynes and Boone

Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Moscow, providing a full spectrum of legal services. With more than 525 attorneys, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest law firms in the nation by The National Law Journal. The firm has been named one of the "Best Corporate Law Firms in America" (Corporate Board Member Magazine, 2001-2011) and recognized as a “Top 20 Law Firm” for culture and for diversity with respect to both women and minorities (Vault, 2012). For more information, visit http://www.haynesboone.com.

About The Joe Niekro Foundation

The Joe Niekro Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 2007 in honor of Joe Niekro, a Major League Baseball knuckleball pitcher and 13-year Houston Astros All-Star. He lost his life from a sudden cerebral brain aneurysm in Oct. 2006. The Foundation is committed to raising awareness of aneurysm factors, causes, treatments and research. All funds raised are used to educate the public, support patients and families, and to develop awareness programs and educational materials for hospitals, treatment centers and neurological institutions worldwide.